U.S. Supreme Court
Recent News About U.S. Supreme Court
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Missouri Supreme Court rules application of Blaine Amendments unconstitutional
For the first time, The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a case from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals that governments must not deny religious entities money simply for being a religious organization. -
'Hugging therapy' doctor sues Huffington Post for defamation in Philly court even though she lives in Egypt
PHILADELPHIA – An Egyptian doctor and practitioner of feng shui has sued The Huffington Post, believing the online news agency libeled and defamed her through an article it published on its Arabic satellite website in September 2016. -
Will SCOTUS ruling affect Philadelphia court, where 94% of new plaintiffs are from out of state?
PHILADELPHIA – A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision reached in Bristol Myers-Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California may have far-reaching implications on pharmaceutical product liability cases which are locally litigated. -
Phoney Lawsuits: A federal law is giving litigious people a new income stream
In June 2014, Melody Stoops began a business venture that would lead to the collection of at least 35 cell phones that she stored in a shoebox. Though she lived in a small town in central Pennsylvania, she used Florida area codes when she registered for a new phone number for each. -
NFL concussion settlement nears payout with Supreme Court rejection of challenge
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 12 denied a request by a group of retired National Football League Players to hear their challenge of a concussion lawsuit settlement approved in April 2015 in federal district court in Pennsylvania. -
Seventh Circuit rules against Univ. of Penn student athletes seeking pay
CHICAGO – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has upheld a district court ruling that found that two former University of Pennsylvania track and field student athletes cannot be classified as employees and entitled to a minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act. -
SCOTUS asked to review whether state laws, not federal, should apply to aviation industry
PHILADELPHIA — An aircraft pilots association is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit that allowed states to impose their own safety standards in place of federal law. -
Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules that wrongful death suit should go to arbitration
PHILADELPHIA – The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that survival claims brought as part of a wrongful death lawsuit against a nursing facility should be sent to arbitration hearings. -
Federal court denies injunction against enforcement of Harrisburg buffer zone
A federal district court in Pennsylvania recently denied a preliminary injunction in Reilly v. City of Harrisburg, in which the plaintiffs have challenged a Harrisburg ordinance establishing a buffer zone around health care facilities. -
Court says plaintiffs' refusal of home inspection based on Fourth Amendment was incorrect
A pair of plaintiffs erroneously refused an inspection based on their perceived Fourth Amendment rights, says the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. -
Court declines to certify class in case against Widener University School of Law
PHILADELPHIA - The U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently backed the rejection of a class certification in a lawsuit filed over allegations that Widener Law School purposely overstated its graduates’ employments status. -
Court finds no religious endorsement by Shickshinny over sign giving directions to church
SHICKSHINNY – A former Shickshinny Borough council member has lost her fight to have a sign that was approved and installed by the town, which gave directions to a church, declared a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. -
EEOC settles case over Muslim server fired for wearing headscarf
PHILADELPHIA – A settlement has been awarded in a case against a Philadelphia restaurant with an apparent "no hoodies" policy regarding an employee’s right to wear a headscarf as part of her religious freedom. -
Wage and labor agencies hoping to reduce duplicate efforts, attorney says
HARRISBURG – Reducing duplicate effort is among the benefits that government wage and hour officials hope will result from a recent partnership between federal and state agencies, a Philadelphia labor and employment attorney says. -
Change in Pa. unclaimed property law coming, leaves Delaware on its own
HARRISBURG – Provisions in Pennsylvania's new budget will make Delaware the odd state out when it comes to notifying property owners prior to the Department of Treasury taking over unclaimed property, an administrative law attorney said during a recent interview. -
Federal judge finds respondents associated with Liberian insurance judgment lawsuit in contempt
PHILADELPHIA – In a recent judicial order, U.S. District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond found parties representing and funding the pursuit of a Liberian multimillion-dollar insurance judgment in contempt of a federal court order. -
TCPA ruling gives defense ammo against professional plaintiffs
JOHNSTOWN – The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania last month issued a ruling in the case of Stoops v. Wells Fargo Bank, NA that narrows the requirements needed to be shown in order to file a federal lawsuit over alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). -
Justice Thomas not on board with majority's ruling in case of Pa. man sentenced to death
WASHINGTON – Dissent in a capital murder case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that prosecutors can't judge actions they've prosecuted, is as instructive as the majority ruling, an expert in said during a recent interview. -
Army vet/business owner taking tax dispute with Philadelphia to U.S. Supreme Court
PHILADELPHIA – The attorney for the owner of a Philadelphia real estate business said he and his client “are very dismayed” by a May ruling issued by a federal appeals court that held the man is not entitled to the tax liability protections afforded by the Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to business owners while they are actively serving the U.S.military. -
Whistleblower case raises implications for in-house counsel
PHILADELPHIA - In December, attorney David Danon alleged in a lawsuit filed in Philadelphia federal court that investment company Vanguard had wrongfully terminated him after he raised concerns internally about alleged tax violations.